PROJECT SUMMARY (Coordinating Unit) AfriCARE will be based on the strategy that coordination in the identification of high priorities for research in cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD), improved access to core research support resources, and increased training of young investigators, will lead to improved capacity of the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences (UZCHS) faculty to meet the research needs of Zimbabwe in these diseases. The Coordinating Unit of AfriCARE will establish a well-organized consortium of investigators from UZCHS who, in partnership with investigators from the University of Colorado Denver, local stakeholders and the community in Zimbabwe, will develop the research resources and critical mass of skilled Zimbabwean investigators needed for UZCHS to be a center of excellence for clinical and translational research in cancer and CVD in the African region. This will be accomplished by establishing the organizational framework needed to coordinate the use of research resources for clinical and translational research in non-communicable diseases at UZCHS; coordinating the identification of locally relevant non-communicable disease research priorities by bringing together leaders from academics, government, non-governmental organizations and the community; engaging urban and rural communities in Zimbabwe in planning for the establishment of AfriCARE; and developing and implementing concrete metrics for monitoring and evaluating the quality, value, and scientific impact of the AfriCARE in Zimbabwe and the southern African region.